On May 6, 2017, Bishop William Patrick Callahan ordained two diocesan seminarians as transitional deacons at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral.

Kyle Laylan is from Queen of the Apostles Parish in Tomah and said he will spend the next year focusing on his call to be a deacon, which will prepare him better for his priestly ordination.

“One way I will be preparing for priesthood is by trying to be a good deacon. It seems that the better I live out my call to be a deacon the better I will live out my call to be a priest. Whether it be through acts of charity, or preaching and assisting during the liturgy, my actions as a deacon will prepare me well to serve as a priest. One priest told me that he would practice saying Mass every day when he was a deacon, which I think would also be a good practice for me to do. I will make sure to spend a good amount of time reflecting on the priesthood, for example through reading, and also praying for God’s grace.”

Barry Saylor is from St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Wisconsin Rapids and he said he wants to focus on serving others and making Christ the center of his daily life as he prepares for his ordination.

“It means not forgetting what you have been called to do while also remembering who you are; merging the two together into one. Being able to focus on Christ in one’s daily life is probably the most important aspect of what I will be working on. With the world’s hectic and chaotic requirements, it’s so easy to lose track of time, and this is when Christ needs to be at the center of your day. To love and serve others and lose yourself to them, that is my goal for the upcoming year and into priesthood.”

Please continue to pray for these men as they enter their final year of theology studies and prepare to take their next step to priesthood.